Platform-scale



(No Model.)

s. J. AUSTIN.

PLATFORM SGALE.

Patente-d 055. 25, 1887.

qven 011/ UNITED STATES STEPHEN J. AUSTIN, or

PATENT OFFICE..

TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA.

PLATFORM-SCALE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,055, dated @croiser25, 1887.

Application filed December 20, v12386. Serial No. 222,092. (No modi-l.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN J. AUSTIN, of Terre Haute, in the county ofVigo and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Platform-Scales, of which the following is a-lull, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a sideview of a platform-scale with parts broken away, exhibiting theimprovement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section at 2 2, Fig. 1, looking inthe direction ofthe arrows, the right-hand bracket and supportingboltbeing omitted. Fig. 3 is a top View of one of the levers. Fig. 4 is anend view of the lower bearing. Fig. 5 is a vertical section at 5 5,Fignlf. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail vertical section through one ofthe'square steel coupling-staples ofthe levers. Fig. 7 is a detailperspective view of the coupling device of the ends of the levers. Fig.Sis a perspective view ofthe beam rod leverI with its connections.

, This is an improvement on my patents of May 1S, 1875, No. 163,440, andFebruary 26, 1878, No. 200,683.

A are foundation plates or blocks, which are upon afirm foundation atthe bottom of the pit B. The topa/.ofthe foundation-blocks forms abearing for the gravitating rollers C, the said bearing being curved ina direction transverse to the axis ofthe roller, as seen in Fig. 4, andstraight in a direction parallel with saidaxis, as shown in Fig. 5. Theroller will of course tend to rest in the lower (or central) part ofthebearing and to return to this part when carried away by the movement ofthe platform.

D is a bearing-block having a bearing-surface, d, similar to thebearingsurface c, which rests upon the roller C. The roller G has endlianges, c, which, by bearing against the edges of the blocks A and D,prevent the endwise displacement ot' the rollers.

At the top of the bearing-blocks D is a post, d', having a shallowrounded trough, forming a bearing for Athe k nifeedge E,which is securedin a pair of arms, F, extending from the twist or torsion pipe G,extending transversely from one bearing to another. (See Fig. 2.)

H are lever-arms firmly attached at the inner portion to thetwist-pipes, and coupled together in pairs at the other ends by means ofl staples Iand open links K. The staples I are l secured to nose-piecesJ, which are in turn bolted to the ends of the levers. The open linksare made ofround steel and siniplyhooked into the staples. The staplesare made of bars of square steel, which are bent into a curve 1n suchmanner that the plane of the curve passes through two opposite angles.these angles forms the outer and the other the inner circumference ofthecurve, and the latter forms the knife-edge upon which the open linkbears. There are four of these twistpipes shown, each supported upon twofoundationdevices, theknifeedges E forming the fulerums of the levers.

It will be seen that a single longitudinal series of levers is all thatis needed to make connection between the different twist-pipes and thelever L, which is connected to the scalebeam by rod L2. (See Fig. S.)

M are knife-edges near to and parallel with the knife-edges E, and alsosecured to the same pair of arms, F. The bearing-edges of the knifeedgesFlare of course turned downward, while the bearingedges of those M areturned upward, and each knife-edge M rests at the foot a of abearingblock, N, the foot having a groove to receive the edge ofknife-edge M. The foot a has sufficient length to give it an extendedbearing upon the knife'edge M. The length ofthe head of thehearing-block N is at right angles to that ofthe foot, and at its endsare horns a', upon which are h ung the links O, to which are hung thel1a1igei.biackets l?, upon which the platform-timbers It rest. S is theplatform. The timbers and platform are secured by bolts T or any othersuitable means. The brackets l? are thus placed on opposite sides ofthebearing-block N, and the two platformtimbers also placed eqnidistantfrom the block N on the other side, so that there is equal bearing oneach side of the block.

The outer twistpipes have each a single lever-arm, l-I, extendinginward, while the two inner twistpipes have each two of the arms H II,forming a lever, H H, rocking ou its fulcrums E and coupled at its endswith the outer lever H and with the lever L. The levers H H havetruss-rods H', whose upper ends rest in recesses made in the top of thepost G, extending upward from the middle of the lever blocks by means ofthe described intermediates Thus one of 6o IOO H H. The lower ends ofthe truss-rods pass through lugs H in the lever-arms H, (see Figs. l and3,) and have nuts which may be screwed up on the rods to slightly raisethe ends ofthe lever. The lever L is fulerumed on a standard, L. One ofits ends is connected L0 the scale-beam rod L, and the other end hashooks Z, which engage in the staples l at the inner ends of the levers HH. lt will be seen that a weight upon the platform will depress the endsof the lever-arms Hof the outer and end bearings, and also depress thcouter ends ol' the lever H H to which those lever-arms are coupled, andthe saine thing will elevate the inner ends of the levers H Hand theinner end of the lever L, to which they are coupled, thus depressing theend of lever L which is connected to the rod L2.

It will be seen that the length of the two lever-arms H which areconnected to the beanr rod lever L may be varied at pleasure withoutvarying the length ofthe other levers H, the scale-rod lever and scalebeing constructed to give the proper result upon the scale.

I claim as my inventionl. The coupling consisting o'a pair of plates ornose-pieces, J, a pair ofsquared staples, l, forming knifeeflgebearings, and a link, K, substantially as described.

2. rlhe combination ofthe outer twist-pipes having outwardly extendingbearing arms, single levers secured at the inner side ofthe Outertwist-pipes, inner twist-pipes having inwardlyextending bearing-arms,double levers secured to the inner twist-pipes and coupled to the singlelevers, and the beam-rod lever coupled to the inner ends ofthedoublelevers, substantially as described.

STEPHEN J. AUSTIN.

Ti tn ess es:

ROBERT SNIDER, S. T. REEsE.

